The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Argyranthemum plant, commonly referred to as a Marguerite Daisy, botanically known as Argyranthemum frutescens, and hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name `Harvest Snow`.
The new cultivar is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Emerald, Victoria, Australia. The objective of the breeding program was to develop compact, freely and continuously flowering Marguerite daisies that are heat-tolerant.
The new cultivar originated from a cross made by the Inventor in 1993 of an unnamed selection of Argyranthemum frutescens, as the male or pollen parent, with the Argyranthemum frutescens cultivar `Frosty II`, not patented, as the female or seed parent. The cultivar `Harvest Snow` was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross in a controlled environment in Emerald, Victoria, Australia, in 1993.
Plants of the new Marguerite Daisy can be compared to plants of the female parent, the cultivar `Frosty II`. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Emerald, Victoria, Australia, plants of the new Marguerite Daisy have a more uniform plant habit, thicker leaves and larger inflorescences than plants of the cultivar `Frosty II`.
Plants of the new Marguerite Daisy can also be compared to plants of the male parent, the unnamed selection of Argyranthemum frutescens. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Emerald, Victoria, Australia, plants of the new Marguerite Daisy are more compact and have a more uniform plant habit than plants of the unnamed selection of Argyranthemum frutescens.
Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by terminal cuttings in Emerald, Victoria, Australia, has shown that the unique features of this new Marguerite Daisy are stable and are reproduced true to type in successive propagations.